


Inevitable

by the_black_rose



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Flash Fic, Lemon, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:49:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_black_rose/pseuds/the_black_rose
Summary: A collection of flash fiction written for LoveReflection's March Madness challenge (2021).Prompt #11: Animal Instincts"Wolves don't make love like this."He looked up at her; his body moved to her rhythm. Lifting, falling, winding tighter and tighter - sharpening the ache in the pit of his stomach."Don't allow themselves the thrill of being pleasured by their mate."——————————-#7: I keep getting your mail#1: The Princess and Her Protector#15: Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb#4: “That is my least vulnerable spot” - Casablanca (1942)#19: Fortune Cookie#9: Hurt / Comfort#2: Snowed In#23: Fireflies#17: Someone is Watching You Smile
Relationships: Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy
Comments: 66
Kudos: 74
Collections: Love Reflection March Madness (2021)





	1. Someone is watching you smile

**Inevitable**

"Princess!" A sing-song voice. A heavy arm on her shoulder. Relena sighed and turned her head towards the boy. A grinning face - inches from hers. Electric alarm shuddered through her spine.

"Oh! Duo."

"Don't look now. But, I think someone is watching you smile."

"What?"

"Shhhhh. I said don't look."

"Who?"

A sly grin. Rosy cheeks. "I think you'll know soon enough."

"Um, can you let go?"

"This is how you'll know," he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"She asked you to let go." The deep voice like a growl.

A wince. Duo's arm extracted. A tongue, a wink, a wave.

Relena spun around. Dark blue eyes - narrowed beneath pinched eyebrows. The disarray of chestnut hair. Unfamiliar. Tall build, drawn features. Maybe she had seen him before…. "He's harmless."

His curt nod. Fingers curled into a fist. The light scar on his knuckle.

"But, thank you." She smiled. "He can be...a bit much, sometimes, too."

The frown relented. Hands shoved into pockets. The flex of his forearm. Ragged jeans. Motorcycle boots.

"I'm Relena Darlian."

"I know."

"And you are?"

Wind swept his reply into her ear. "Heero. Heero Yuy."

"I have a class. But, walk with me?"

The tilt of his head. The bob of his adam's apple. His step - towards her. Warmth settled in her stomach and spun electricity through her system.

His offered elbow. The breathless way her arm fit with his.

"On second thought."

The quirk of his eyebrow. The glint in his eyes. Leaves crackled. The scent of wood and spice.

Electric sparkles shivered through her spine. "I'm ahead in that class. If you wanted to go…."

"Go?" He leaned towards her. His closeness stole the air. But, his breath puffed. Ragged.

Her lungs starved. "I'm just," she blinked, "very thirsty. All of a sudden."

Silence hung in the air. He didn't feel…. The zing of something familiar. That dream. That touch.

"You're not concerned." He remained. Warm, magnetic.

"Concerned?"

"You just met me." The rumble of his beloved voice. Intimate. Stirring.

"True. But." She tilted. Or the world did, beneath her shoes.

His fingers tangled in her hair. Slipping through the ends. "But?" The part of his lips. That heated space between them.

"I feel like I've known you forever." She whispered against his mouth.

That kiss.


	2. Fireflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #23: Fireflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set, independently, inside a 'universe' I've been creating for a longer story. As in, I've been writing a long, chaptered fic, and this scene may or may not end up getting added to it. I've been writing other pieces of it.... It just hit me that this was a conversation they might have had (in my longer fic), but isn't currently included in the emerging first draft.

* * *

**When You Never See the Light**

By the Black Rose

Airy pixies glowed like fireflies; floating pinpricks of green sparkles in the dusk. Butterfly wings fluttered; sparks fell like dust as the tiny beings flit between the stones surrounding the water feature in the royal garden.

The young fae princess leaned back on the blanket she spread across the grass. Her eyes scanned the sky. Her hawk should be here, soon. He had promised to reveal himself this night. After days and weeks of 'hovering'. How many times had she caught him at her window?  
  


_Intelligent, golden eyes regarded her. The hawk with dark brown feathers mixed with white and gold - clicked its beak; she huffed at the stubborn creature._

_"I told you not to come back. If you want an audience, or to call on me, you need to come in your original form."_

_Eyes blinked, once, twice. Talons scratched the windowsill._

_"No exceptions."_

_A shrill chwirk. He turned around and pecked at the windowpane. Relena started to open the glass, then stopped. "And I know it was you that humiliated the Elven prince. Tossing him in those brambles before he could propose."_   
  


Relena wondered what sort of fae her shapeshifter would turn out to be. He had to be powerful, that she couldn't discern his nature. Common faeries were simple, straightforward creatures. Elves had no desire to hide - their arrogance overriding every other emotion. Nymphs, their natures oozed from every pore - like her friend Dorothy.

_"You know the Inner Circle is anxious for you to find a pure-blooded mate. As one of the last, untainted line of airy fae….And I do mean that in every_ _possible_ _way."_

"If I'd been born a water nymph, I'm sure I'd have," she huffed, "lovers. Maybe. Not the way she does…."

A hoarse scream pierced the night sky. She caught her breath; the grand hawk beat its wings as it circled high above the castle walls. A protection spell cast over the grounds would prevent his entrance - if he meant to do her harm.

The bird of prey dipped, his wings spread wide as he dove for the ground. The large-bodied hawk plunged through the humid air. He pulled up a meter above the ground, landing in the water feature with a loud splash - scattering the firefly pixies in an outraged titter. The hawk flapped and stirred the water, as if it meant to bathe.

Relena took a deep breath but couldn't calm her racing pulse. She retreated behind a glamour illusion, casting a warm glow like sunlight over her blanket and lighting the garden as if it were the middle of the day. She wrapped herself in the illusion of a silk gown that fell to her feet; and willed her eyes to be a shade brighter, her hair glittery and gold.

'I'm being ridiculous. He's the one that has to answer to me.'

The air grew quiet. Relena glanced up; with a burst of feathers and swirl of dark magic, a male fae's shape appeared - draped in shadow.

He stepped into the brightness of the illusion; dark brown hair the same color as the hawk's feathers falling in some damp disarray over his forehead. Dark blue eyes, impossibly deep - like the night sky filled with stars. They darted about the confines of her illusion, and he scowled. A darkly handsome pinch of his eyebrows and intensification of his gaze.

"No magic."

Relena sucked in a breath. A raw and raging power radiated about him. "You are no ordinary shapeshifter. Who are you?"

"No magic. Relena."

She withdrew the tendrils of her power; allowing night to fall like a black curtain once again. He closed his eyes. Fine hands flexed and curled long fingers at his sides.

"Now, answer me."

"Heero Yuy."

"You are not an airy fae. Nor elf." A blast of something cold. Hollow. "Your power is dark." Electric sparks touched and burnt her skin. "Is this why you've been hiding? Your true form."

"I am no pureblood." He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. A smile curved his lips.

"The evening….Is lovely is it not?"

"Your power. It soothes me. I can't explain…. Why I cannot. Leave you. Even when you tell me to go."

"I only wanted to know...who you really are. You seem to dislike my illusions as well."

Heero nodded. His hair moved, dried in the night air.

"You scared the pixies away."

He shrugged.

"You could have bathed before you arrived."

He sat beside her on the blanket. "Then I wouldn't have scared the pixies away."

"You want me all to yourself, then?"

"I can't deny it."

A cool breeze swept around them. She looked over her shoulder and got caught in his gaze. The dark waves of his power lapped against hers, the two forces ebbing and flowing; dancing and tangling together. 

"You came to tell me I cannot have you."

"The Inner Circle would forbid it."

Relena nodded. The thrills of his closeness thrumming through her body in thousands of tiny shivers.

_"You have a responsibility, Relena. The rest of your life, eternity, my child…."_

_"My brother is gone, and for what? What kind of life-"_

Her heart beat like his wings, caged in her chest - drowning out every other sound. She rose to her knees, gulped a breath of air….

She shifted and sat astride his lap. His eyes widened an instant before she crushed her lips to his. His mouth came to life, fitting and moving against hers. The tumult of their crashing together filling her chest with warmth. His arms wound around her; he held her tight against him.

And Relena lost herself in their kiss.


	3. Snowed In

* * *

**To Keep You Warm at Night**

By the Black Rose

Relena stared at the deluge of snow beyond the glass. The world, or at least the mountain, seemed to be lost in the whitewash. She sighed; her heated breath puffed a frosted pattern on the windowpane.

"Relena Darlian? Relena. Is there anyone here named Relena Darlian?"

Relena turned away from the window and raised a mittened hand. Two tall, bronzed young men stood a few feet away. One wore a ski suit, half unzipped - the top half hanging around his waist. A long braid slid over his shoulder; his eyebrows lifted when he met her gaze and one corner of his mouth crooked up in a smug-looking smile.

Relena tried not to roll her eyes. He was one of _those_ ski instructors. The type that Dorothy had told her to find - and have some ridiculous 'tryst' with. Before Relena "shamefully" graduated college 'untouched'.

"Hey, sorry, but we're going to have to cancel your ski lesson for today."

"She knows already, idiot." The other man spoke; his arms crossed against his green, short-sleeved t-shirt and suspenders. Dark brown hair, almost black and streaked with chestnut wisps - fell over his forehead; sharp eyebrows leant his handsome features a dangerous gleam. Relena bit her lip and tried to look like she was staring over his shoulder - instead of admiring the musculature of his arms.

"We'll reschedule, of course. You'll still be here tomorrow, right?"

"She's scheduled all week."

"Oh. Right. Well, that being the case, let us buy you some hot chocolate." The guy with the braid leaned into her personal space. Relena caught her breath.

"Um. Sure?"

"You here with anyone?"

Relena shook her head. "My brother and his wife live nearby. I just...wanted something to do."

"You're not staying at the lodge?"

"No. And now I'm not sure how I'll...get home?"

"Oh. Shit. The lodge is booked solid. But, um, let me go charm reception and see what we can do."

"Thank you, uh, what's your name?"

"Duo Maxwell. This is my buddy, Heero. Say hello to the nice lady and keep her company, wouldja?"

Relena removed her mittens. "I guess I won't be needing those. Or this bulky coat." She pulled it off and rolled it up, stuffing her things in her backpack.

She glanced up and caught his gaze. "Um, have you been an instructor long?"

"Not long."

"Oh. Well, I'm looking forward to the lessons. Thanks in advance for teaching me."

"Duo will push you off the chair lift the first day. He thinks it's funny. I'll do my best to stop it, but be on your guard."

"He seems….Gregarious."

Heero rolled his eyes.

"I'm a little more of an….Introvert, I guess. People like him make me uneasy."

A small curve of his full, pinkish-tan lips. One eyebrow quirked up. "He thinks women love him."

"Isn't that the cliché? I mean. Nevermind."

"Cliché?"

"I'm sure there are thousands of romance novels written about having a fling with a sexy ski instructor."

Those beautiful lips pressed together in barely contained mirth.

"What? I'm not saying that's why I! Argh. I was just!"

Heero grabbed his stomach as he laughed. Long, loud; rumbling through his entire body - as if it rose from his toes and rolled through every muscle.

"What the hell?" Duo clomped across the room and stared at Relena like she was a fish who hopped out of tropical waters to hang out in the snow.

"You broke him. He doesn't laugh. What the hell? Did you say to him?"

"I-I-I. I just said that there were romance novels written about...ski instructors. Not that I read them! And not that I."

"That's why those old ladies keep signing up for your class." Heero's hand came down on Duo's shoulder with a heavy thump!

Duo flushed a deep crimson. "Yeah, you're a dick. Embarrassing me in front of the hot chick. Thanks a lot, buddy." And with that, the boy turned on his heel and stomped off. His long braid swishing behind him.

"Oh. B-but."

Heero's features fell back into a slightly amused version of his former, intense expression. "Thanks for that."

"Um. What about a place to stay?" She glanced in the direction of where Duo had disappeared.

Heero shrugged his shoulders. Dark blue eyes glinted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Stay with me."

Her jaw dropped open. "B-but! But, I couldn't. We just met and I...we…."

He tilted his head. "We already told you. The lodge is booked. You can stay out here and sleep on the floor, maybe the couch if you're lucky. But, my room has a shower, some privacy. Your choice."

"I." She drew in a breath; her heart hammered in her ears. "All right. Thank you. You're very kind."

His eyebrows disappeared under that mop of hair.

She smiled up at him. "Well, come on. I'll buy the hot chocolate."

Heero's mouth opened and closed. "You're? What. With me?"

"You invited me."

"People say I'm intimidating."

"Well, to me, you're a sweetheart. Willing to let me stay with you. Determined to be a gentleman the entire time. It's just...very generous." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Relena grabbed his arm and led him towards the cafe.

"Who said I was a gentleman?"


	4. hurt/comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set inside the world of a fic I've had on the backburner for years (tentatively titled: Insatiable - thanks Darren Hays), just a little scene that could have happened; I've even referred to it in the scraps I've written, but hadn't actually 'penned' until now.
> 
> Thanks to those who will read it.  
> ~Rose

* * *

**In the Dead of the Night**

By the Black Rose

Heero shoved his hands in his pockets as he continued to trail...her. She was out too late. Again. And while the townhome he provided was situated in a neighborhood that was...average. Not expensive, but definitely not crime-ridden. He still didn't like it.

Especially not today.

A light drizzle hovered in the air - dusting his shoulders and kissing his cheeks. Relena Darlian, college sophomore at this point, clutched the paper grocery sacks close as she walked. A poor choice in this weather. He sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair.

The streetlight blared red. He stood inches behind her; faceless in a small crowd of strangers waiting for the signal to change. Dark blond hair fell over her opposite shoulder, except for a few stray pieces dripping behind her ear. And slipping down the long line of her neck. Heero swallowed the urge to brush them away.

A shaking breath preceded a choked sob. Her shoulders jerked, and she hugged the grocery sacks against her chest. A sudden tilt, and her head turned in his direction. Luminous eyes rose and Heero's stomach twisted as she met his gaze. A tear. Her lips parted, but the streetlight changed. The small throng of people shoved them along; they crossed the street with the tide.

On the opposite corner, no more than a half block from her residence; she prevented his escape.

"You. I've seen you before."

Heero nodded and looked away. He knew what she looked like - in the mornings before classes, padding around her room. Asleep in the moonlight, silver-blue shadows cast on her features.

The enticing curves of her body…. He resisted the urge for years. But, when she reached the age of twenty. One night, she just caught him by surprise by tugging off her nightshirt and lying atop her sheets. Her fingers skimming across her chest….

His chest tightened and he shoved the memory aside.

"Who are you?"

Heero glanced around, looking for an escape. Her grocery bag slipped; the soaked paper splitting and spilling her produce and small container of yogurt. His hands shot out and snagged the items mid-air. He found himself eye-level with her bare knees.

"Nice catch."

He stood to his full height and offered the small, plastic bags- As she adjusted her grip on the other paper sack, he realized she couldn't take them from him.

"I live just over there. Would you...mind?"

He didn't respond, just tucked the items in his arms and fell into step with her. She set her bag down on her porch, struggled with her keys, finally pushed open her door.

"I know you…."

Heero studied the toes of his boots. It was time to go. Today, of all days, he didn't have the right - to be here. To stand in her presence. To bite back all the things he wanted to tell her.

Had wanted to tell her for four years….

"Would you mind. Keeping me company for a little while? I'm. It's a rough day for me. And. I just don't want to be alone right now."

The hitch in her breath. Tears started and it was like whatever held her together. That tough resolve; the determined set of her chin that day…. Just crumpled.

He caught her before she hit the floor. Holding her while she sobbed, grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt. Heero brushed a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, Relena…."

Nails dug into his shoulder and back of his neck.

After several minutes - of cramped legs and awkward arms. Her sobs faded to whimpers.

"I'm sorry. You don't even know me. And here I am…. Could I get you some coffee or something? I'm not normally like this." She gave him a watery smile. Her eyes glassy, she wiped at her tears with the back of her hand.

Heero eyed her, and glanced at the door. The window. 'Where's Pagan? He knows not to leave her. Not today….'

But something about this girl, woman, had always pulled at him. From the first time he saw her - through his rifle scope.

"This is a weird conversation to have. But...today. Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's death."

She set about filling her coffee pot. Measuring out the coffee grounds, dumping them into the filter. Heero sat at the kitchen table, and watched her. Noting how much warmer it was to be so close….

"He and my stepfather were killed. Double homicide, is the official police term. Someone with a sniper rifle shot them - on the street outside my grandfather's home."

Heero closed his eyes, trying not to picture that day. The blood. The fear in her eyes….

"One minute, I was hugging my grandfather, then I turned my back and he...he was gone." She leaned back against the kitchen counter, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes met his from across the room.

"Sounds, traumatic."

"Yeah. The police said I was lucky to be alive. But, I think it was on purpose."

She turned away and set about pouring coffee into two mugs. Relena moved to the fridge, pulled out a container of creamer, and set it on the table. Her skirt emitted a light swish-swish noise with her stride.

Two mugs settled on the table. A napkin. Two spoons.

"My grandfather was a respectable federal judge."

"And your stepfather?"

"Someone not worth missing."

Heero let out a breath as relief bathed the inside of his chest. He had been right, after all. The threatening way he towered over his 'daughter'. It was a whim. It was dangerous. But, no one deserved-

Her hand settled on his arm. He looked up; her eyes pulled him in. The same way….

_Heero held his breath, and counted the exhale. One...two… .The teenaged priss pulled from her grandfather's arms. Three….Four…_

_She turned around and leveled an empty stare at her stepfather._

_He squeezed the trigger. Judge Weyridge crumpled to the ground._

_A scream. He didn't have much time. The other man leapt towards the fallen judge._

_He still didn't know why. But the look on her face. That intense expression...the defiant set of her jaw._

_Heero pulled the trigger, again._

She had grown, so much, since that day…. Another tear slipped down her cheek, and he was lost. He leaned towards her; felt hot puffs of air against his lips. _One. Two…._

"Relena…." Heero covered her mouth with his. Her eyes slid shut and she shivered; but her lips met and nibbled at his mouth. A torrent of heat rose from his abdomen to his chest - powering his limbs. To cup her face, to pull her closer.

His fingers stroked a path through her hair as he broke away.

"H-how. How do you know my name?"


	5. Fortune Cookie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a scenario from a fic I finished drafting over the summer (it needs editing) and took a different 'route' with it for today's prompt.
> 
> Thanks to those that will read it!
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose
> 
> Warning: Contains some crude humor (I can't ever get Duo to behave *sigh*)

* * *

**There's Still Time**

_Dine here. Be fortunate._

By the Black Rose

The college senior and cybersecurity major glanced up from his laptop to stare across the campus laundromat. A poster suspended on the opposite wall read: 'Cookie of Fortune', with a set of comic book characters. A giant robot, a tough-looking 'soldier' guy - wearing jeans and holding a machine gun; a girl with a passionate look held onto his arm. In the background sat an enormous fortune cookie and neon text: "Dine here. Be fortunate".

Heero shook his head and let his eyes wander over to 'her' - the chick, er, 'young lady' with the impressive collection of matching pink laundry baskets, and equally impressive-looking legs.

Blue-green eyes flit his direction; her symmetrical features pleasing. For a rich girl, and she was definitely rich - wearing a designer-label athleisure dress (in dark pink); she didn't wear much makeup. Relena Katerina Winchester Peacecraft-Darlian, as she had introduced herself to his annoying pest of a roommate, wore a shy smile, perfect hair, and had already rebuffed the gregarious idiot. Twice.

"She's looking at you, tough guy." Duo elbowed him in the ribs.

Heero stared at the program on his computer. It glared back, lazing on a Saturday afternoon.

"Leave her alone."

"You know I can't do that." He flipped his long braid over his shoulder.

Heero growled under his breath.

"She likes you."

"We haven't met."

"Yeah, once she meets you, the romance will no doubt die, you gloomy sonofabitch. If Trowa was here, he'd already have her number."

Heero glowered at the smirking idiot. "She didn't give it to you."

Duo's grin fell to the floor. "Yet."

"Never. I'd put money on it."

"I'd put money on you being too big of a chicken to ask her."

"Ask her what?"

"For her number. To go out with you. What she's majoring in. Where she found pink trashbags! You won't ask her a fucking thing."

"I'm busy. I need to finish-"

"You're a coward. You're still mooning over that rich bitch that broke up with you by sleeping with Trowa."

Heero seethed. "I couldn't give one shit about her."

"Then ask Relena," he hissed, "something. Anything!"

"Not interested."

"Not interested? Are you dead? She's gorgeous. And nice, dude. She helped me sort my laundry so I wouldn't end up with yellow socks. Again."

Crack! His laptop came loose from its cover and almost fell to the floor. Heero caught it and glanced up at the Cookie of Fortune poster. 'I hate this guy. Four years I've put up with his shit-'

"Who's the hot chick?" Trowa's sleep roughened voice entered the laundromat - tromping on Heero's last nerve with metal cleats. The cybersecurity major's shoulders hardened. He turned his attention back to the cyrillic symbols on his laptop screen.

"Dude, check it, she has like five names. 'Relena' is the only one I can remember, though."

"That's a lot of pink."

Heero closed his eyes and held his breath.

"Oh, I'd like to see more of her pink things."

"Crude. Can't say I'd mind, though." Trowa lugged his trashbag of clothing over to a washer.

Heero's gaze drifted back to...Relena. She looked up from her paperback at the same time and their eyes locked, again. A light blush colored her cheeks and she returned to studying her book.

'She looks...different.'

Heero massaged his temples and watched cyrillic turn into hieroglyphics. He was done. He'd lost the battle with the capture-the-flag* exercise, and would have to start again.

'It should have been easy. Dammit.'

He packed his laptop in his backpack and shot a look over at his dryer; he leaned forward to see how much time was left. 'Seventeen minutes.' He groaned and stood up. He could put his things in his truck, and hang out outside - where the stupid cookie poster, and her kind eyes couldn't stare at him.

Before he hit the door, a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. 'Fuckin' Trowa.'

"I can't tell you what to do. I don't have that right. The fact that I'm sorry...can never repair our friendship. But, don't let me or her ruin anything else for you. We have nine weeks left until we graduate."

"So?"

"You always told us on the soccer pitch - we miss one hundred percent of the shots we don't take."

Heero closed his eyes and felt his stomach twist. He couldn't help it, his eyes drifted back to the bench where Relena- She wasn't there. Frowning, he spun around.

And came face-to-face with....Her.

Blue-green eyes twinkled; she twisted her fingers together. Her mouth opened, closed. Head tilted, light-colored eyebrows lifted. "I'm usually not this forward, but."

He blinked.

"It's only nine weeks...until graduation. And so... I didn't want to. Uh, miss an opportunity." She wouldn't look at him. Instead, she tipped her head back and glanced up at the ceiling, gulped a breath of air.

Heero's mind whirred and clicked. 'What is this?'

"Do you like Chinese food? There's a place just off campus. We could go? Tonight, maybe?"

"The one on the poster?"

"Oh, that Cookie of Fortune poster? That's a terrible ad, but I guess it works. I've been craving fortune cookies since I saw it."

"I hate it."

"Oh. Oh…." The smile fell from her features and her eyes lowered.

"The poster. Not. Uh, don't listen to me. I'm an idiot."

"Sorry?"

He leaned over and pressed his mouth to hers. Relena closed her eyes; her lips curved beneath his. The contact sent gentle waves of heat through his chest. After a long moment, they parted. Mouths hovering; breaths mingling. Heero pulled away.

"Should we try it, then?"

A light feeling bubbled up in his chest, and a chuckle escaped his lips. He took her hand in his. "I'm game if you are."

Relena grinned. He tugged her with him out into the bright afternoon. "Oh. Now? But, I," she glanced behind her. Then shrugged. "Well. Why not?"

Heero paused long enough to flip off his roommates before releasing the door.

"We're gonna leave your shit, Yuy! We're not-" The door shut behind them, cutting off Duo's tirade.

"If I take you for fortune cookies, will you tell me where to get pink trashbags? Duo needs some."

Her lips twitched. Bright eyes met his, glinting with just the right amount of mischief. "Deal. But, it may cost more than fortune cookies."

"I'm willing to negotiate."

"I look forward to it."

Electric heat sung through his system. And the attractive girl beside him changed in an instant - to an intriguing mystery he had to solve. Touch. Know.

_Dine here. Be fortunate._

He certainly hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A capture the flag (CTF) exercise is a special kind of cybersecurity challenge designed to test participants with solving computer security problems and/or capture and defend computer systems. A CTF exercise may take a few short hours, an entire day or even multiple days; they can be designed for individuals to solve on their own (generally for practice), or set up to be a competitive event.


	6. “That is my least vulnerable spot” - Casablanca (1942)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set inside a 'universe' for a fic I've been writing in which Heero hires Relena to be his Personal Assistant (and Social Companion) - for 4 years, as part of an overall 5 year plan to exit the role of CEO. 
> 
> She initially refuses, but Heero won her over. Or, so he thought...
> 
> Thanks to those of you who will read it! 
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose
> 
> Rated M for citrusy content.

* * *

**Every Night I Dream**

Relena Darlian shifted in her seat as her boss's speech came to an end. The sign up at the front announced the topic of the session: Operational Technology - From Most to Least Vulnerable in your Cybersecurity Strategy. And then the most important note at the bottom: Sponsored by Gundanium Cyber.

Heero Yuy, CEO of the small, niche cybersecurity startup Gundanium Cyber thanked the full conference room at the upscale hotel, removed his glasses, and stepped down from the risers. His eyes found hers; he took a deep breath and nodded in the direction of the door. Relena, his "personal assistant slash social companion", released the ring she'd been fiddling with at the end of its chain around her neck, and stood up.

She moved to the exit and turned to find Heero, Mr. Yuy, surrounded by members of the session's audience. His gaze flicked to the door, his PA, then back to the tall, balding man that held out his card.

Relena squared her shoulders and made her way around the small gathering; she grabbed Mr. Yuy's elbow from behind and spoke in a loud voice. "Sorry, but you have another appointment."

Heero nodded. "Apologies. I'll be around tomorrow, too. Feel free to email. Ms. Darlian, I ran out of cards."

"Yes, of course." She dug in her blazer pocket, and pulled out her card holder. She peeled off brand new business cards and handed them out to the members of the crowd. And then he abruptly turned and followed her to the exit.

"Tell me you were lying."

"About what?" They reached the hallway and kept going.

"Another appointment."

"Yes, I was lying. Trying to rescue you."

"Good. Let's go."

"Go?"

"Yeah." He held up a key card. "Hospitality suite on the twelfth floor."

Relena straightened. "I don't-"

"It has food. Drinks. Real places to sit."

"Done. These are low heels, but apparently, not comfortable enough for standing all day. People continually just show up in your 'orbit', circle around you for a while, and finally drift away."

Mr. Yuy, snorted. "It's the job."

"They act like you're some sort of celebrity. It's a little crazy. Isn't it?"

He shrugged. "I want to be on 'personal time' when we get to the suite."

Relena glanced at him. "I thought we agreed. Not during the conference. Only after hours, not at conference-related functions. And then Friday."

They stepped into the elevator. Heero stabbed the 12 button. "I want to relax. I hate public speaking."

"You do it enough, I wouldn't have guessed you hated it."

Mr. Yuy rested his head against the elevator wall. "Trowa and I started out as computer nerds, remember?"

Relena sighed.

"When we exit the elevator, you're not my assistant."

"Mr. Yuy."

"I could persuade you."

"Inappropriate. Not during work hours."

"It's after five o'clock central."

"My boss makes me work late most nights."

"Ditch him."

Relena rolled her eyes. The elevator door dinged as it opened. Mr. Yuy stepped into the hall. He turned and held his hand towards her. "Relena…."

She let him take her hand and pull her beside him. They walked hand-in-hand past several doors. Heero finally stopped and waved the keycard over an RFID reader. The lock clicked and he shoved it open.

Relena didn't know what she expected a "Hospitality Suite" to look like, but it was definitely not supposed to look like an ordinary hotel suite - empty, except for a spread of food on one table, and an ice chest with an assortment of sodas.

"This? Is the hospitality suite?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't other people given the same key? It's for the use of VIP conference...attendees?"

Heero's mouth crooked up.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Lock's scrambled. No one else can get in. Until I reset it."

"That's tampering!"

"If I'm caught. But, they'd have to explain why there's such an obvious hole in their security."

"You're terrible."

"I wanted alone time. With you."

"I'm staying in the same hotel room. I'm with you wherever you go-" He cut her off with a kiss. His full lips caressed hers - firm but gentle. Lingering. He tilted his head; one hand moved to rest between her shoulder blades. Heero covered her mouth with his.

Relena hated that his kisses could make her lightheaded and wobbly in such a short period of time. It wasn't fair. _He_ , wasn't fair. This 'role' he carved out of himself for her; it wasn't enough.

She broke away.

Heero tucked pieces of hair behind her ear. His fingers toyed with the ring on the chain. A small frown tugged at dark brown eyebrows. Those midnight blue eyes - that stared right through her like she was translucent - met her gaze.

"I'll wear it, when I'm comfortable. With our relationship, Heero."

He took in a breath. "Come on. Sit down and get those heels off."

"Yes, please." She pulled her feet out of her shoes and slipped across the floor - to the sofa.

Heero sat at the other end of the cushions; he lifted her legs into his lap. He massaged her feet. His touch the right mix of light, delicate strokes, and firm pressure…. Relena relaxed. His fingers slid up her calf, kneading into the belly of the muscle.

Warm, tender touches moved over her knees, to the lower part of her thighs. Then she was slipping, and he was hovering; pressing. His lips caressing hers, tracing the heated patterns of his breath against her neck. Her arms came up to hold him; fingers tangling in the softness of his hair.

"Heero…"

"What will it take," his deep voice rumbled next to her ear. "To believe I'm serious?"

His hand trailed up her thigh. Roughened pads of skin dragging a salty-sweet path along the sensitive skin - to coax the junction between her legs. Relena rasped. Her pulse roaring through her system, silencing her mental protests.

An aching respite; his fingers unbuttoned her blouse. His mouth bit and nipped at the flesh of her chest. Relena arched off the sofa, feeling his length pressing into her mound.

"Heero. We can't. Shouldn't."

His hand cupped her breast; his thumb brushing over its peak. "If you'd wear the damned ring…."

"It doesn't solve." The heat in her core blazed. Heero rubbed his clothed erection against her. She hissed.

"Tell me you don't want me. Because I don't believe that's true."

"Heero. I can't marry you. Not...like you're proposing. Not some matter of convenience."

He stilled; withdrew. The absence of him leaving her body...wanton.

"I want you to love me. I want to be in love."

"And how do you. Know." He finished adjusting himself, his shirt. "When someone is in love with you, Relena? Since you're so determined to believe I'm not." He practically spit the words.

"What?"

Heero grabbed his jacket. "You just dismiss everything I've given you as an attempt to manipulate you."

"I-"

"Read the damned ring, Relena." Heero jerked open the door and stormed out into the hallway.

She glanced down at the piece of jewelry; held it up, trying to get the overhead lighting just right.

It read: "wing to wing, and oar to oar."*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *From Robert Frost's love poem: [The Master Speed](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/198356-the-master-speed-no-speed-of-wind-or-water-rushing)


	7. Some Days You Just Can't Get Rid of a Bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in a fic universe I'd been contemplating, had a few notes (and a blog post) on, but this is the first scene I've actually written....
> 
> I like this one better than yesterday's. I felt like I tried to cover too much ground yesterday and description suffered for the sake of dialogue.
> 
> Thanks to those who will read it!
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose

_For Trinton_

* * *

**Drive Like He's Bulletproof**

Relena paced her kitchen, watching her shoes fit within the faux 'brick' outline in the linoleum. Duo's ever-cheerful voice continued to argue, persuade, cajole… She wasn't sure why her friend was trying to convince her.

"Duo. He's a nightmare. Bad for my career - on his best day! Nothing I do can salvage-"

"Relena, you're the best."

"You know I don't do this any-"

"You were the best. You still know how to be the best. Your son is old enough, now, too. You don't have to keep hiding away and working freelance things. Come back. Take this job. Relaunch your career - and his!"

"He is the epitome of self-absorbed, violent assholes. You saw him in our introduction. How you can even-"

"Relena, he's been going to anger management therapy. He's sober. And working with children in cancer treatment centers. He wasn't raised right, but he's trying. RAZRCAR wants to see him fail. But you. You always believed in second chances. Can't you try?"

She huffed.

"Heero needs you - to reinvent his image, give him the chance to win. Help him salvage the broken mess of his life. He's been my friend since grade school. I promised I'd find him the best. You. You're also my friend. Please."

She sighed. "All right. I will talk to him. And see."

"Sounds like a yes. Tell my godson I'll see him for b-ball practice on Saturday."

"Trey's not going to allow me a minute's rest once he hears about my new client."

"That is a yes! I knew it!"

Relena groaned. "You already told him."

"Maybe a little. And you're in for another surprise!"

Her stomach flipped over. "What?"

"Open your front door."

"My? What?"

"Gotta go! I'm sending the employment agreement, but I'm holding you to our verbal contract. Bye!"

"Duo Maxwell!" She hit the call button. It went straight to voicemail. "Dammit, you-you-you weasel!" Relena tried to redial her supposed friend.

"You have reached the mobile office of-"

"ARGH! How dare you leave me a...ticking timebomb in the middle of my newly-resurrected career!"

Her doorbell rang. Relena whirled around to stare at her front door. She ran a hand through her hair, crossed the foyer, and wrenched it open.

He stood in her doorway. The Triple Crown Motorsport Champion RAZRCAR driver leaned on his crooked left arm; his hand resting over his forehead. The 'pose' lifted the dark brown hair that, in post-race interviews and pictures, always fell in slick waves into his eyes. Midnight blue irises stared at her above fine cheekbones. A light sprinkling of stubble covered his jaw; his black leather jacket leant him a rugged, dangerous appeal.

Her mouth watered. She took a step back. "You."

"I came to apologize. Duo said I need your help. And I trust him. So."

"So."

"May I come in?"

"I won't bother asking how you got here."

"Drove."

"Not what I meant."

A small curve of his lips. She hated that it reminded her of the pictures in her Teen Sass magazine - when he was, himself, a teenaged 'sensation'.

"I don't know why you're here."

He shrugged. A quiet confidence hovered around him. He seemed...much different than the hotheaded driver who assaulted another racer a short eighteen months ago. The incident resulted in a suspension, disqualification from the Cup championship, and hefty fine.

"Duo said I should come."

"You do everything he says?"

"No. But, he's a friend. And, I have to trust someone."

"True."

"I'd like to trust you."

"No no. You will trust me. And you will listen to me. That's the only way this works. We have to reinvent your image. You. And make sure everyone in RAZRCAR and its fans think only of this newly invigorated, once-in-a-lifetime talented driver with a damaged heart of gold - and forget the drunken, juvenile, violent behavior of your past."

He winced and looked away.

"I'm not... Just—"

"I get it. I deserve it - the censure. So, where do we start? What do you want to know?"

Relena blinked. "Know? I don't need to know you. It's probably best if I don't. I have a job to do; I have to invent an image - one that I believe in and 'sell' to everyone out in RAZRCAR's racing world. If I know the real you-"

"You'd rather, make it up? What if….It's not true?"

"Then you just keep it out of the media. Including social media. You'll turn over all your accounts to me. You don't tweet, or snap, or anything. I do."

He frowned. "You want to sell a lie."

"I just don't want to know the truth."

"Because you don't believe I've changed."

"I don't know you."

"I'm inviting you to know me."

"I don't want to."

"You're afraid."

"Excuse me? I'm not afraid of you! Of all the preposterous- I'll have you know, I can still opt out. I've signed nothing."

He tilted his head. "I spent the past eighteen months, more or less, learning to be human. My stepfather taught me to drive, to race. Lying to get me into competitions before I was old enough to have a license. I can spot a lie a full circuit away, Relena."

She shook her head and stepped back.

"It was the lying. No one was genuine. Telling me what they thought I wanted to hear. Because I won. Because they needed me to keep racing." He swallowed. "I was a commodity. Less than human."

Relena bumped into the edge of her kitchen counter. Her heart clutch-kicked into a drift; its loud thrum filling her ears. His arms on either side caged her in. "You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not. I'm not lying."

"You want to know me. And you want to know I'm real. You can't sell a fake version of me any more than I can be...what people wanted me to be." He stared at her. Long eyelashes framed those inscrutable blue eyes. The tiniest spray of freckles on either side of his nose. Heero leaned forward; his gaze heated. His mouth moved impossibly close.

"I don't...I don't want you to kiss me…."

"Still lying." His lips touched hers - gentle and warm. Electric. Wobbly. She clutched the fabric of his shirt; tilting her head back, she opened her mouth. His tongue stroked hers, turning her insides into warm rainwater on a Mississippi afternoon.

His hands gripped her waist; she clung to his neck.

"Mom! Mom! Uncle Duo just told me that-" Her nine-year-old son's exuberant voice broke the spell.

"Oh. My. God! It's true! Heero Yuy is in our house, Mom! Can you sign my pennant? And my mom has a whole bunch of your stuff. Including an original diecast replica of your first racing prototype - Wing. You should see it! Come on - it's in a box of her things cause she won't let me touch it."

One dark brown eyebrow quirked up; the corner of his mouth tilted into a half-smile.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Relena's whole body turned to ice.

"Didn't know you were a fan."

And she couldn't even lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RAZRCAR - Romafeller Alliance of the Zodiac R-prototype Car Auto Racing


	8. The Princess and Her Protector

* * *

**Bleeding Through**

Relena yanked on her pendant necklace, dragging the charm back and forth across the chain. The tall man wearing a black bowler hat gave her a half smile. Or maybe a full smile; she could only see half his face beneath the long strands of wheat-colored hair.

Crackling and crinkling; the sound of tearing paper. Relena tensed. "Please, be careful." She called out to the two workmen who looked like they were playing tug of war with her prized possession.

She chewed her lip. The zip zip of her pendant-

"Lovely necklace, my lady."

"Oh. Ah. Yes, thank you. Mister-"

"You may call me Trowa, Lady Peacecraft. Your majesty."

"Oh, please, I'm a few lines removed from the royal family. It's like a fourth or fifth cous-"

A clink. Crack!

She winced. "Is my painting all right?"

"Of course. We packed it with the utmost care. It's just taking a moment to unearth it from the container."

"I really can't thank you enough. The thing has been missing for generations!" She practically danced from toe to toe. "I think the last time it was even seen was World War two. Where did you say you found it?"

"Buenos Aires. Or thereabouts."

"Amazing. You're truly a miracle worker, Trowa."

That little, enigmatic smile again. His visible green eye didn't light with the expression - making it seem...forced.

"All right! We got it."

"Careful." Trowa called out. The two men in dingy gray overalls held the painting - the missing Peacecraft heirloom - up at an angle.

Relena sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, and felt her heart inflate in her chest.

She had seen reference photos. a faded polaroid. One of the other family portraits from a long ago era, contained a blurred attempt at conveying the image in the background.

Nothing came close to its magnificence.

"I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh, my…." She stumbled forward. "It's!"

Sapphire blue eyes glowed off the canvas, framed by long black lashes. Dark eyebrows scowled in a fierce expression. Fine wisps of wild hair, the color of roasted chestnuts - floated off his forehead, as if tousled by a slight breeze. Streaks of light captured in the variations of the brush strokes.

Light and dark shadows played across his features, as if to symbolize the Knight struck a balance between the two sides of his nature: the killer. And the protector. His mouth held just the tiniest curve on one side.

Blood and soot marred his ripped tunic - exposing the flesh of his arms. Tanned skin pulled taut over rippled musculature and veins. Relena covered her mouth; tears pricked her eyes. On one arm, the Knight carried a heater shield adorned with the Peacecraft coat of arms: a cross in the center - with a feather on one side, and moon on the other.

"It's like someone painted a person into the canvas."

A hollow chuckle. "As you say."

The Knight's gloved, right hand rested atop his cross-shaped arming sword. A small, metallic piece glinted in the simulated 'light' of the oil painting. Relena moved closer, staring at what appeared to be a tiny chain, dangling over the knuckle of his glove: a chiseled piece of metal in the shape of a dove's wing.

"It's titled: 'Her Protector'. I always wondered why. It's just him."

"There's an inscription on the back."

Relena nodded. The two men turned it around. She moved closer, letting her fingers graze the calligraphy. "It looks like: Fidelis." She frowned, "exspecto in somno positos."

"Faithfully waiting in slumber."

"Puzzling," she murmured. 'That chain. Why does that look so familiar?' Relena tapped her chin with her forefinger.

"How so?"

"He's not sleeping?"

Trowa's lips curled into a snarl.

Relena took a step away from him. "Forgive me. Please check your accounts. My banker wired the money. No need for you to remain. I'm capable of handling this from here."

"Are you certain, my lady?"

She forced out a laugh. "Of course. You have already done so much. I'm having someone custom frame it - here, under my supervision, tomorrow. If you wouldn't mind having your friends deposit the piece over there, against the wall. I'll have Pagan wrap it back up and store it in the safe."

"My lady," Trowa took her hand, patted it once, twice. He gave her a razor sharp look before tilting his head to watch the painting shuffle by. The man held such a quiet, unsettling demeanor, but lifted her hand and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.

A chime. She glanced around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear…?"

"Ah. I thought I heard something. Um, apologies, Trowa, I-"

"Your majesty."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" She shook her head. "I'm not…."

"Your necklace is very lovely."

"Ah, yes," she reached for it and fumbled with the pendant. The ornament sagged in a strange fashion, but the piece had called to her when she was going through her mother's jewelry box a few months prior. A dove's wing on one side of a cross, a heart-shaped diamond in the center; a small link for another charm….

"I'll take my leave." The strangely beautiful man turned and signaled his two workmen to go with him. They let themselves out of her home.

Relena turned around and hurried over to the painting. She could swear those blue eyes…burned holes in her skin.

She knelt down to look at the!

Her heart leapt into her throat. "The dove's wing! It's!" She fumbled with the clasp on her necklace, ripping it from her neck to hold next to the charm glinting on the Knight's glove.

"Fidelis exspecto in somno positos." She flipped the pendant over. On the back of the pendant, the engraving read: "Heero Yuy. My beloved."

Relena spilled to the ground. "You look...so real. Who are you waiting for so faithfully?"

The colors began to drip. Drip, drip. Drip, drip.

"What?"

Drip drip drop! The paint hit the floor. Blue eyes blinked once, twice. The Knight moved! He stood, using the cross-shaped sword as leverage. Paint splattered the floor; it fell from his skin, his hair-

"AAAAIIIIIIIEEEE!" Relena scrambled to her feet. She took hurried steps away. Then stopped, turned around. She was halluci-

Paint clapped against the tile and splashed up the walls. Her heart sprinted, galloped. She gulped air, but couldn't breathe. Her whole body blazed like fire. "I'm dreaming. Wake up. Wake up, Relena."

He turned translucent for just an instant, and then…

The Knight came to life. She held her breath as a teeth-chattering shudder grabbed her around the waist and rolled through her spine.

Intensely blue eyes found her. She squeaked and tried to back away. But her body became burning ice. She couldn't move.

"Relena…." He moved towards her. Bootheels scraped against the tile floor.

Her breaths came in tiny, shuddering gasps. The room began to spin.

He knelt before her, dropped his glove, and took her hand. "Your majesty." And he pressed his lips to her fingers - one at a time.

"My beloved."

And the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long ago in a land far far away (it was actually Earth circa 2005), I kept trying to brainstorm this story - where Heero, a Knight in a painting, came to life. And just...how he came to be in the painting, what was their story. I was able to write a description (it's probably still on my lj somewhere), but I never got to the part where it came to life.... And I really couldn't figure out where it was going. I had *some* ideas, but it wasn't all fitting together.
> 
> Today's prompt made me want to play with it in a fresh way, and see what would come out of it. I know probably everyone playing March Madness went with some version of Princess and Knight, but, eh. You got one from me, too.
> 
> Thanks so much to those of you who took the time to read it!
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose


	9. I keep getting your mail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fraction (a bit longer than I should have written, but still within the confines of the challenge) of a story I've been wanting to write for years.... The end is more than a little rushed; I hope you can forgive that. In my head, it's a bigger story.... 
> 
> Set in the version of the GW universe that (maybe / sorta) occurred in the Endless Waltz novelization - where Heero and the other Gundam Pilots go to Mars to participate in the Mars Terraforming project. (I had seen the comic version a hundred years ago, and this story idea came to me; I couldn't find the pics I used to have, anymore, though. So, I just did the best I could in a couple of hours today).
> 
> Anyway, thank you to those who will read it!
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose

* * *

**Echoes**

It was nighttime when Heero missed her the most. The habitat felt like a deprivation chamber. The hum of the Moxie machine*, so comforting when he first arrived - to know that there was breathable air - whirred and clicked in the silence.

A shielded 'skylight' fashioned into the dome of the habitat allowed him to view the stars in the night sky. But, even knowing they were the same stars she could see on Earth, provided no comfort lately.

'Relena….' He rolled on his side. Took a deep breath. But, he couldn't stop the memory of her latest communication.  
  


_"Heero, I hope you're well. I received the latest report from the Terraforming project. It always comes with such...complex emotions. Relief, to know you're still out there, working to create a future - for yourself and others in a new world._

_"Concern, to think of how long you've been gone. Without a word. I know communication satellite relays are over capacity. I've certainly been doing what I can to help... Knowing it could be the difference between life and death…._

_"I confess I'm a bit melancholy these days, too. I know the term of your contract ends, soon. And I have no idea whether you'll choose to stay for another two years. I had hoped that the initial two years would have provided. Clarity? Distance. Purpose._

_"Then I received the news, from Duo, that you signed up for another two years. I have sent you these recordings every month since you left. And you couldn't even-" A choked sob._

_"Tell me."_

  
He gritted his teeth at the memory. She'd sent him messages. So many things to say, always words filled with emotion: excitement over her niece's birth; anger at people who wanted to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Fatigue, when the job became too much….  
  


_"It's been a really long week. I wish I could see you, today. You just wouldn't believe some of the ridiculous bureaucratic tasks they subject public servants to. Which, by the way, is the most appropriate name for my job._

_"I hope your work is more interesting. I picture you, out there, running these fascinating experiments. Going on space walks. Being...content. I hope you are, Heero. Content, that is."  
  
_

He'd never heard her cry before.

* * *

It surprised him - the first time he'd received her message. He hadn't thought...she'd take the time. The average citizen couldn't pull it off. With satellite relay capacities oversubscribed, she would have had to put in a request, and pay the fee; scheduled delivery based on an anticipated opening. And still, her message could get delayed if ESUN-SET's command center needed to co-opt the bandwidth. A thirteen to twenty minute delay in communication between Earth and Mars became days, weeks….

Her messages would arrive at the satellite orbiting Mars; stored on a raid configured server, until Heero retrieved it with his comms device.  
  


_"Heero, I hope you don't mind if I….I just wanted to talk to you. I've been working hard to make my role as Vice Foreign Minister, well, useful, at least._

_"I hear the same people say the same things. So many times. And I even ask, why? Why can't you sell the rights to half the resource satellite? Why can't we come to some agreement?"_

_Her voice pitched lower in an amusing attempt to imitate an older, male colleague: "Well, Relena, it's just something we've always done. Ugh! I'm so tired of hearing that same, tired excuse!_

_"At least, terraforming an entire planet hasn't been done before…."_

  
What could he say to her? He'd thought about returning her messages. But, the first one came in the midst of a flurry of setup, unpacking; coping, arguing. Fear.

They all took turns waking up in the middle of their eight hour rest period - terrified there wasn't any air! On nights when more than one of his comrades awoke, their eyes would meet, nod, take a few, calming breaths. And pretend the next day that nothing was amiss.

After three years and eight months. They'd grown used to the habitat. Its cramped spaces. The cold, dry, pressurized environment - that felt hollow and heavy at the same time.  
  


_"I'm sorry that I'm ranting, tonight, Heero, but I just can't believe some of these idiots! We found, I just can't believe it, still! Those, those! PIRATES! I don't even know what to call them. But they were storing crates and crates of weapons in some wonderful Caribbean island. Lying to my FACE! That's the part I can't stand._

_"That and the weapons! What is wrong with them? Do they like killing people? Do they get some rush? Out of taking a life?_

_"I know, sometimes, in war. Lines blur, situations are kill or be killed. But, I know you and the others...you fought beside. I know none of you enjoyed it._

_"That's why I'm so proud of you. For choosing to create something new. That takes real courage, Heero."  
  
_

The messages kept coming. Every month, as close to clockwork as anyone could manage. The longer it took him to return her messages, the more he felt like….He didn't know what to say. Did she want him to tell her about the vegetation experiments? As the program sponsor, she'd receive the report.

But, each message felt like she was asking him something in the pauses and echoes between the words. Something he should answer.

Something only he would know.  
  


_"Hello again, Heero. I hope your work is going well. I saw the latest report, and it seems like the lichen is surviving, and photosynthesizing according to expectations. I'm hoping that the bacterial cultures will be just as successful._

_"Does the experimentation suit you? I confess, I see you as being more active, but then again, you weren't really given an opportunity to make your own choices…. Maybe the quiet study, an opportunity to exercise your inquisitive mind. Maybe these are a huge relief to you._

_"I sometimes think about what it would be like. I don't know if I could do it. The quiet reflection sounds nice, though. As quiet as you seemed to be, I think that part suits you. I bet it drives Duo and Quatre crazy, though."  
  
_

And then, Duo had sent him a message - a little over a year ago, now:  
  


_"Hey buddy. Just got back to Earth today. It's such a relief to see people again. Eat real food. I don't think I liked raspberries before, but they're my favorite thing to eat, now. I eat a whole carton every day. Hilde just shakes her head at me, but man, can't lie, I definitely missed the food!_

_"Speaking of seeing people. I stopped by to see you-know-who. She's still beautiful, man. I chatted up the secretary while I was waiting for her meeting to end, ya know, just a few minutes. And she told me that no, the Princess isn't dating anyone. Said it was really weird, actually, because she has guys ask…._

_"I think, ya know, she's still waiting for a certain ex-Gundam Pilot. You know the one, he's antisocial, thinks he's Evel Knievel, and hardly speaks!"_

Heero stared up at the night sky. The habitat had started to feel cramped in a way it hadn't before. His chest felt like the caverns they had been digging for the past year. The work was important, but. But, maybe it was time….

_"Heero, I hope you're well. I received the latest report from the Terraforming project. It always comes with such...complex emotions. Relief, to know you're still out there, working to create a future - for yourself and others in a new world."_   
  


He took a deep breath, switched on the communicator.

_"Message received, Relena. You don't have to worry. I'm coming home."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) is a technology demonstrator on the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. MOXIE will produce oxygen from Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide using solid oxide electrolysis. The technology demonstrated by MOXIE may eventually be scaled up to provide the necessary amount of oxidizer for a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) in a human mission.
> 
> \----in this case, I chose to use "Moxie" as the name of the actual oxygen production device in honor of the original technology demonstrator.


	10. Animal Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Set sometime after the events in Prey of the Wolf. Don't pay any attention to the fact that story isn't finished. This is set after. It's fine. Everything is fine. 
> 
> I hope it's reasonably palatable. Despite things and stuff.
> 
> Love,  
> ~Rose
> 
> PS - This is NOT the entry I wanted to post today, for this prompt, but it was the easier one to write. Hoping to finish the other one for Sunday. So, stay tuned? (ish)

PWP lemon contained.

* * *

**Domesticated**

His mate, wife, stood from the bed, unfurling her amazing body with cat-like grace. Sunlight stole in and caressed her skin. Heero admired the golden peaks of her breasts; the bright brush illuminated long pieces of blond hair.

He growled and pawed at the light. She should come back to bed. That was the whole point of sending their children to visit 'grandma', the night before leaving on their vacation.

Relena pulled her robe tight around her chest, and turned towards the door. She tossed a look at her husband; he caught her arm. "Oh!"

He grinned and pulled her towards him. The Lycaon male brought her wrist up to his mouth, inhaling the scent of her. He lapped a kiss on the sensitive flesh.

Relena sucked in a breath; her nipples pebbled beneath her thin robe. Heero tugged on her arm, again, trying to bring her back to bed.

She leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his lips. He released her for a moment, bringing his arms up to- His mate pulled away. Her mouth curved into a smile; luminous eyes met his gaze beneath black lashes.

"Good morning," she murmured. Relena patted his head before exiting the room.

A cold wave washed through him. He stared at the open door. The wolf inside him grumbled. He rose from the bed, dragged a pair of shorts over his human legs - covering his sex, as was the habit of humans - and hastened after his mate.

The woman leaned forward over the counter, setting up her coffeemaker; the semi-sheer fabric clinging to her rear - tempting him with the revelation that: she wore nothing under the robe, and, it barely covered her ass.

"What time are we-"

"You petted me."

"Come again?"

"You patted me on the head. Like I'm the children's dog."

She turned around and crossed her arms. One eyebrow lifted. "And?"

"I'm a wolf. Not a domesticated-"

"You seem pretty domesticated to me."

"Really."

"You're not?"

He pounced. Pressing her against the wall with his body. He pulled at the robe, peeling it from her shoulders. Her eyes met his.

"I'm more dangerous."

"Not to me. You deny that you've changed? Chosen to refuse some...urges. Some parts of your nature. In favor of living with me and parenting your children?"

"There's still. A difference between what I am and a pet." He bit and sucked her neck. Lightly scraping his nails down her chest, he ripped open her robe at the waist. The fabric slipped against her arms and fell to the floor.

Heero gripped her ass, pulling her against him. He kissed a trail down her neck to her breasts. He teased the stiffened peaks, then moved lower; over her stomach. He knelt on the floor. Pulling one leg over his shoulder, he kissed the mouth of her arousal.

"Uh! Uh! Heeroooo," she whimpered. Her husband flicked his tongue against her clitoris. His mate rasped, "Oh God."

He grinned and closed his mouth over her sensitive nub - sucking and biting as her mewling grew louder. The fingers of one hand tangled in the back of his hair. Her remaining digits clawed at his neck, his shoulders.

"Uhhhhhn," she pulled on the back of his neck, her animal instincts taking over. "Please!" Her legs trembled as he laved his tongue deep inside her folds - tasting the evidence of her desire.

She started to slip; he stood, gripping her around the waist. His arousal strained against his shorts. Heero wanted to push her onto the table and enter her from behind. But, before he could lift her, she regained her balance and shoved him backwards - steering him into a kitchen chair.

His mate stripped off his shorts and wasted no time in straddling his lap. She positioned him at her entrance, and in a smooth motion, Relena began her descent. Her wet, heated core stretching, sliding. A slow, aching movement; she took in his length. He grasped her hips, helping to guide her as she lifted; the friction of her rocking and grinding against him, a delicious torment.

Heero kissed and lapped at her breasts. He pressed the knuckle of his forefinger against her clit. Her breath came in puffs and gasps. She increased the pace of her gyrations.

This, was why. This heated dance between them. No animal could grind and thrust against him - driving him into a fevered pitch. Desperate and raw to gain his release. She rode his length, controlling the pace of their coupling; her slick heat pulsing around him - edging, thrilling!

"Uhn! Heero!" The rapid expulsion of air; a deep shudder rolled through her body as she clamped down on his erection. She stilled, taking shallow rasping breaths. His arousal still buried deep inside.

Dazed, blue-green eyes met his. A small curve of her lips. She moved again - lifting her hips for an instant before drawing his erection back into her core.

"Wolves don't make love like this."

He looked up at her; his body moved to her rhythm. Lifting, falling, winding tighter and tighter - sharpening the ache in the pit of his stomach.

"Don't allow themselves the thrill of being pleasured by their mate."

She teased at his mouth; her tongue, her teeth nipping at his lips. He caught her mouth into a kiss, wrapping his arms around her - pressing her delicious body against him. He thrust up, off the chair; his skin aflame. The muscles of his body straining, searing.

Her softness, he craved her softer, pliant form; lusted for the way her tender body connected with the hard planes of his. The world blurred around him. He closed his eyes and let his instincts take over.

The sweet fragrance of her arousal. The slick and slap of their sexual dance.

He loosened his hold on her, returning his hands to her rear. Heero increased the pace and force of his thrusts. The sharp ache, the desperate need, bubbled and burned until it overtook him. His body raged, but he couldn't get deep enough. He felt caged beneath her; raw and ravenous.

He stood from the chair, lifting her with him; he hefted her onto the table, spreading her legs wide. He pounded into her as she arched and clawed. "I want to feel you…." she whimpered, trying to bring him closer.

He leaned over her, biting kisses against her lips. The roiling desire unfurled the breadth of his need. He plunged into her. Once, twice; his body strung thin and wide. The aching pressure shattered everything at once. He spilled into her. She caught him - cradling his body, and stroking his hair as he continued shuddering his release.

"I love you," she breathed.

He lifted from her, helping his mate sit up. Heero retrieved her robe, and pulled it over her shoulders. He ran his hands over the soft, slippery fabric - delighting in the feel of it as he stroked her breasts. She shivered.

"You're right." He murmured. "I chose you. Our family. To remain...mostly human."

She smiled. "Mostly."

"To be with you."

"I know. And you've been a good husband and a gentle father." She lifted an eyebrow. "For a wolf."

He snorted. "You're a pleasing mate. When you're not calling me domesticated."

"So, you don't want me to tell you you're a good boy?"

Heero growled. "I think I earned it."

Her lips twisted into a mischievous grin.

"Bailey just buries sticks in the backyard. Doesn't even fetch."

"Hm, my wolf buries his in a much better place." She pressed a wet kiss to his nose; her finger drew a line across his cheek as she exited the room. The curve of her hips swaying with each step.

The honeyed scent of her arousal drifted behind her.

'A most pleasing mate.' Heero chased after his wife.


End file.
